#I made myself cry several times

[ducere]

When there’s only tea to remember…

[acediaedeus]

I like it when ppl write Ichigo kissing/touching Grimmjow’s mask, bc that’s such an undeniably Hollow part of him, it’s sharp and dangerous, even scary to some, but Ichigo still loves and cherishes it, for him it’s comforting to touch the jawbone, trace the teeth, bc it means Grimmjow is there, right under his fingertips.

and it’d be comforting for Grimmjow too, bc if he ever doubts that Ichigo really wants this, if any thought of Ichigo closing his eyes and pretending that he’s just another shinigami/human and not a soul-devouring monster creeps into his mind, it is all destroyed with gentle hands, light fingertips and soft lips, bc Ichigo loves Grimmjow, all of him, for who he is, not despite.

[des-fangirl]

So thisss pretty guy? Looks cool right? Im super proud of him, it's like my first time sculpting something on my own since uhh primary school?😭

But

This. Little gremlin. Decided he could just FALL while im getting him out of the freezer AND BREAK INTO LOTS OF PIECES!! WTF MAN!! DIDN'T WE HAVE SOMETHING GOING ON? They're not lying when they say he's abusive.

But nvm im making a new one :) surely no backstabbing this time, right Bill? Stay tuned! Im gonna finish his bowtie and platform to stand on tomorrow i hope

[mabelsguidetolife]

oh so i kinda confessed that i feel useless to my family but apparently i’m actually the cheerleader/clown/‘heart’ of the family who helps them get through things emotionally……. they didn’t say or even imply this but i think i’ve been slacking on that front

[apocalypticdemon]

I am so beyond ready to quit this job. Wednesday cannot come fast enough.

[eliashirsch]

All I wanted was to write fluff and humor...

The angst got to me...

[lulu2992]

Hey ! First thanks for this blog, it's full of really great posts :) And second, I saw you gave advices to fanfics writers for John and Jacob but I didn't see anything about Joseph, I believe I'm not the only one to think The Father is the hardest to write ! Any tips, advices or anything else ? Thanks a lot and continue this wonderful work !

Hi! And thank you :D

I suppose you’ve played the game and already know Joseph’s story, but as I did in my previous posts, I’m going to give you (and anyone reading this who might not be familiar with the Far Cry 5 universe) a few links and resources:

The Book of Joseph: an official but rare book that seems mostly canonical. Its real-life author is unknown, but it’s written from the Father’s point of view and provides details about his life before Hope County. Contrary to popular belief, though, this is not Eden’s Gate’s sacred book; that’s The Word of Joseph and we can’t read it (except one page; see below).

Joseph’s sermons: the “first” one, “Soul Search”, the one about “the elite”, and “The Truth”. The latter is him reading the only page from The Word of Joseph we can find in the game. There’s also this one for Jacob’s Armory, and this, supposed to be broadcasted in the Heralds’ bunkers when the Collapse has arrived.

His only radio call.

The message he left for John at Seed Ranch.

His lines during the final fight against him.

His Arcade lines: Part 1 & Part 2.

His scars and tattoos.

I wrote a summary of what other characters say about him (masterpost here), but the cultists and Resistance/civilians’ comments can be listened to here and here. And chances are they’re not relevant anymore, but you can listen to his deleted lines here and read even more here.

The Far Cry 5 lore is all over the place if you want to take all the content they’ve ever released into account, but there’s also:

The song “Now He’s Our Father” (choir version here and reinterpretation here)

The two live-action trailers, The Sermon & The Baptism

The novel Far Cry: Absolution (not legally available for free)

The short film Inside Eden’s Gate (and, as a bonus, the long version of one of the scenes)

The comic Far Cry: Rite of Passage #3 (not legally available for free)

The game has an official sequel, Far Cry New Dawn... but it’s not really canon to me because of the retcons. And I have to talk about it because it exists, but there’s also the Far Cry 6 DLC, Collapse. It takes place in Joseph’s mind, and you would think that would make it the most reliable source of information regarding his psyche, but it was developed by a new team and there are many discrepancies between it and Far Cry 5, so I would personally advise against using it as a reference... Finally, this isn’t only true for Joseph, but take everything you see on the Far Cry Wiki with a grain of salt, especially unsourced information that makes you go, “oh, I didn’t know that”; that’s very suspicious :’)

In the Far Cry 5: Official Collector’s Edition Guide by Prima Games, the game’s Lead Writer, Drew Holmes, said the following about Joseph:

What we really focused on was creating an enemy that truly believed in his mission—that only he could protect humanity during the end of days. We wanted to create a villain who had pure intentions but who was so consumed by his own madness that he could not see his own evil. He views himself as Noah—but everyone else sees him as a madman. (...) Joseph Seed is a villain we haven’t seen before in Far Cry. Yes, he’s magnetic and crazy...but there’s also an honesty to him that makes him compelling. He believes he has purpose. He’s not crazy for crazy’s sake—he has a very clear message that he’s trying to impart on the Player—and hopefully makes you stop and think whether or not he’s actually right.

He talked about him in other interviews, such as this one.

Joseph was co-created and has always been played by the same actor (except once), Greg Bryk, whose opinion on the character is always worth reading/listening to. Here’s a selection of videos, some of them also featuring Drew Holmes and Dan Hay (Executive Producer/Creative Director/Writer):

Cult of Personality (UbiBlog)

Meet Greg Bryk Joseph Seed Actor

Interview - Greg Bryk and Drew Holmes (Gaming Trend)

Greg Bryk (Joseph "The Father" Seed in Far Cry 5) - Game On Expo 2018

FORGED ep10 - W/ Guest Greg Bryk

SacAnime Summer 2018 Greg Bryk Far Cry 5 Panel

Joseph Seed "The Father" aka Greg Bryk talks FAR CRY 5 & FAR CRY NEW DAWN

How Far Cry’s Iconic Villains Were Created (IGN Inside Stories)

Fans also asked him questions on Instagram and I compiled his answers here (and here). In the latest live stream, he said Far Cry 5 had been “an amazing chapter in [his] life” but that Joseph’s story was “finished”, implying he didn’t feel like playing him anymore...

Finally, it’s not really informative, just fun, but there’s this.

Now, my analysis and interpretation! Despite the fact Joseph is an antagonist in Far Cry 5, I wouldn’t really call him “evil” or describe him as a villain because he’s (weirdly) well-intentioned. His followers undeniably do awful things for him and his siblings, but even though he’s a cult leader, he’s neither hypocritical nor a liar, and his primary goal isn’t to take advantage of people. Joseph heard a Voice he believes is God’s and It entrusted him with a mission. Although who that Voice belongs to is up to interpretation, it’s clear to me It’s not a figment of his imagination; It’s real, and It’s powerful. Joseph has unwavering faith in It and will obey It, whatever It asks him to do, even the worst, because he’s extremely devoted and convinced he’s only doing what’s right. He genuinely believes the Collapse is coming and that he’s the prophet chosen to save as many “souls” as he can (at least 3,000) from it to march them to Eden’s Gate, which is why he started his Project.

I said he was well-intentioned but, as the saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”, and I think Joseph embodies this proverb perfectly. The fact he’s convinced his actions are righteous is precisely what makes him dangerous and almost unstoppable. He won’t let anything or anyone prevent him from fulfilling his destiny and get in the way of his divine purpose, even if it means people have to die. To Joseph, this is “God’s will” and those non-believers will perish when the Collapse comes anyway... The people his Family saves might fight or not want to join them now, but he thinks that in the end, when they finally understand he was right, they will be grateful. As the Father, he feels he knows what’s best for his Children.

I believe the Voice showed him several versions of the future and that Joseph isn’t sure which one(s) will come to pass. He may know his siblings are likely to die and not see the New Eden, but he hopes they will live because he truly loves them. As for the Deputy, they’re the person destined to trigger the Collapse, so they’re special to him and he doesn’t want his followers to kill them. That said, he also hopes he can make them join his Family so everyone can be safe in “The Garden” the Voice promised.

I think Joseph hasn’t really moved on from the loss of his wife and is still, in some way, in love with her. That doesn’t mean he could never love someone else, but in the game, he’s not quite there yet. That may seem paradoxical, and he’s still convinced he did the right thing, but I also believe his daughter’s death was a tragedy to him because evidence suggests he loved her more than he loved himself. Joseph is a man of strong convictions… and contradictions.

He’s usually calm and collected but can still feel and express extreme emotions in some cases. When he speaks, it’s like he’s naturally solemn and charismatic, which is probably why so many people follow him. Again, the fact he doesn’t lie to them and sincerely believes in his message is probably the reason others started to believe in him in return.

Because of what he went through in his life, it appears Joseph is always desperately trying to build a family and surround himself with loved ones. Sadly, he also seems doomed to always lose them, one way or another… His commitment to the Voice is absolute, and serving God is what keeps him going. In the end, he’s certain everything he’s endured and sacrificed will be worth it. Unfortunately, while he always aims to do “what’s right”, the tragedy of Joseph is that he usually ends up inadvertently making things worse, for him or the people he loves. His faith is his reason for living, but it’s also, too often, the main reason for his suffering.

[liamnottherose]

Listen, I may forget every single detail of every media I consume, HOWEVER, I JUST SPENT 4 HOURS STRAIGHT (I'm not kidding) MAKING A MAP OF HOW A PUZZLE IN SALLY FACE COULD BE PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE.

It's just a kind of maze but in first person. You have to go into some arches in the correct order to get to the final room. Did the creator create a physical map of this maze? I DON'T THINK SO, BECAUSE THE ARCHES DON'T MAKE FUCKING SENSE.

BUT AFTER FOUR FRICKING HOURS I HAVE MANAGED TO CREATE A POSSIBLE SOLUTION, maybe not a solution an architect would have chosen to do from scratch, BUT A PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE SOLUTION.

AND I PLAN TO, SOME DAY, MAKE THIS IN 3D TO SEE IF I'M FUCKING RIGHT OR JUST REALLY REALLY TIRED AFTER SQUEEZING MY BRAIN FOR 4 FUCKING HOURS TO DO THIS SHIT.

[girlscience]

Okay. I know I have a lot of cooking mutuals, what do I need to do to make cooking enjoyable??? I am so fucking tired of eating canned soup and kraft mac n cheese and "concoction" (ground beef with whatever else I have that needs eaten and every spice I own). I know people say "if you don't like veggies try different ways of cooking them!" here the thing though, I hate veggie prep. So even changing how I cook them, everything else about veggies is an awful experience for me so I never want to do it. I know people talk about "15 minute meals!" and "one pan recipes!", but so far those have all been lies. People talk about experimenting and trying new things, but I straight up don't know how to do that. People say to listen to podcasts or audiobooks while prepping, but either I focus on the prep and hear none of the story or I focus on the story and struggle with the prep. I am not fast with prep, so meals that require prepping multiple things at once or prepping something while something else is cooking never fails to stress me out to a wild degree. I don't know how I'm supposed to keep everything from burning and keep things stirred and chop up everything and get the next ingredients out and clean as I work all at the same time. I do not enjoy picking out recipes or buying groceries (genuinely hate more than any other chore besides laundry), so meal prep is next to impossible for me. I forget to thaw meat nearly every time I want to cook something and so end up putting it off for days. I can never seem to get my roasted veggies to actually roast, somehow they just steam themselves in the oven. I do not want or like cooking gadgets, so I am doing everything with the very basic supplies. I am cooking for one person so leftovers are a constant issue (I have eaten so much left over food that I find genuinely sickening because I didn't want to waste it). And then I have to do this every day forever till I die. How do I make myself like this??? I am so fucking tired of eating gross food.

[anotherpapercut]

working with children really will make you examine your thought processes and emotional reactions like nothing else. I've found myself being so much more thoughtful in my daily life about how I respond to my emotions and environment, as well as the reasoning behind why others behave the way they do

[i-am-thornqueen]

After two months and 16 versions, the 20th chapter of the Monsters of Paris is now up!

[harmoniouseclipse]

MLP Violet doodle bc burnout has hands (her outfit is like an elden ring boss)

[bokuwadekinaiko]

cw post / tags. sorry

i don't even know if i have the words

to express this

she's gone

and its all my fault

[qqqqqqqqqqq0]

i've been having some trouble falling asleep lately

[daydadahlias]

WAIT WHERES MIM?!?! PLEASE TELL ME YOU’LL RELEASE THAT ONE AGAIN PLEASE

I need you guys to understand that the reason I took down my stuff was for my own peace of mind because they're my stories and i started feeling unsafe having them out because of how they - and I - were being treated.

absolutely nothing is wrong with mim and I love that fic and I care so much about it which is why - for my peace of mind - i want it to belong to only me rn. I know the fic was only out a month after i finished it and that really upsets me about taking it down. i want to reupload it because i know people like the fic and i love sharing my stuff but also there's that level of how much the fic matters to me and how much more devastating it makes it when people are cruel. and how much it hurts when I, as the creator of something, am treated like I don't matter at all and that my stuff can so easily be stolen or copied. like, it's an extension of me, yknow? You can't separate content and creator in such a small and intimate sphere as fandom. like, you guys all use my first name when referring to me, yknow?? there's that sense of connection. and since it's such an intimate space, having that trust be betrayed or disrespected is so much more potent than if we were in a large fandom with a lot of creators.

the fear of having MiM copied is really immense and real for me rn and i know that's potentially me being overly paranoid but considering the Amount of times this has started to happen - and how blatantly rude and nasty and entitled readers have been getting with me and other creators over the last year - it's definitely not out of the realm of possibility.

MiM wasn't written for readers, it was written for me. and i shared it because i wanted to and that was wonderful. but to have any of my stuff stepped on so much just doesn't make me feel very safe in this fandom space rn and makes it hard to let people have access to something that matters so much to me.

I'm not saying MiM has been deleted forever, I'm just saying i want some more time for it to be mine.

[xitty]

Thank you HappyEle and Akira, the fine event made me feel so many things. I'm looking forward to be able to read it thoroughly and think about it more. But for now:

I loved that Tori was even more adamant about the other fine members not to treat him like he's a fragile being who can't hear unpleasant things because it makes him feel like they leave him out. This isn't the first time (look at Primavera for example), but he was really upset this time. But it fueled him to show them. And I loved how he said to Wataru that he wants to be like them because loves them (fine). They've come so far from Flower Fes. <3

And Wataru, oh Wataru. I feel really sad that people turned their backs on him even on theater course. He really was alone and drifting before the War. And then, his thoughts on negative emotions... It's okay to focus on positive things but man, he's bottling them up too much. Stop with the toxic positivity! Let yourself feel them, Wataru. He also wanted to be help Tori grow and even though he ended up adding to Tori's hardship in a way he didn't mean to, it was fine in the end. And it made him face some of those negative emotions but Tori told him he'll be there to listen. Yes, Wataru, Tori and the rest of fine will support you too! I will probably have more thoughts when I read the whole thing. But just... waaah, there were quite many sad things. Wataru, I hope you'll be okay, trust your friends. <3

I also was thinking how this is a second recent event where people tell someone to be NOT like Eichi. Natsume in Altered and Tori in this story. And yeah, it's a solid advice, we don't need Natsume to repeat War or Tori being as willing to throw people under bus for the sake of efficiency (and it's good for him to realize Eichi is also just a flawed human like all of them). But how Eichi said again that he dislikes himself... that made me sad. How everyone, himself included, often focus on his mistakes etc. I know it's hard, but try to love yourself a little more, Eichi. <3

Yuzuru... He had very much a supporting role here but I hope he'll soon get a really good story. They hinted about his family a few times, maybe a story relating to that? He also provided Yuzuru funnies with being a little murderous, haha. Yuzuru is the steady presence they need. Give Yuzuru more love. <3

And all the little fun and sweet things, Wataru eating with Yuzuru and Tori, Eichi writing messages and emails like an old man, Yuzuru eating seafood flavoured ice cream, Eichi assuring Wataru there's nothing besides friendship between him and Amano, Tori and Shinobu talk... and probably more that were not mentioned yet. The first part sure made me, and many others, nervous but part two gave context and wonderful things, even if some of them were sad. Sometimes life is sad. But they have each other, they tell that to each other again and again, so guys, please remember that.